Bitter
by ClimbingUpTheWalls
Summary: Because they all lost a part of themselves in becoming Earths mightiest heroes. Drabbles by the Avengers. Steve/Beth Bruce/Darcy Tony/Pepper Thor/Jane Natasha/Loki Clint/Maria/
1. Steve

He was a solider. Soldiers sacrificed, protected. He did this better then anybody else. The serum only made this physically more easy for him.

And then there was Peggy. Beautiful strong Peggy who made any man regret uttering the wrong words.

He was a hero above everything else. It almost came naturally to him, to protect the weak (even when he himself had started out feeble) and defend the broken. A gentlemen through and through.

When the time came to stop the destruction of New York and the other cities he stood up and did what had to be done. He listened to Peggy's choppy voice, knowing full well she must be crying. For a moment he wanted to abandon the plane and run to her, try to live his life out in such a devastating war.

But he didn't. Couldn't.

Because he was a solider and a hero and soldier's and heroes don't run away when the going gets tough.

So he tipped the controls and let the plane go down.

The world changes quickly, seventy years of sleeping leaves him restless. Peggy, long dead, haunts him.

He's somehow become the leader of a group of misfits and freaks. Does this make him the greatest misfit? Perhaps.

But they save the world over and over. Together

And that just might make it worth it.

"Tell me son of Rogers, is there a girl out there who holds your eyes?" Thor asks him one day, because somehow they've ended up the two man team when it comes to partnering up.

"There was." He replies gruffly.

"I am sorry to hear this. Perhaps the cosmos will send you a new maiden."

He wonders if Thor just insulted Peggy, it's hard to tell. But he doesn't respond and continues on.

Then there's Beth.

He happens to run into her one day while he continues to wander around New York city. Still fascinated by the growth.

She's just getting off of work, he recognizes the waitress uniform, the shiny name tag that advertises her name.

He vaguely remembers seeing her, covered in dust, a path down her cheeks cleaned by her tears. He remembers her thanking him on the news.

For a moment he wants to run and hide, but she's spotted him and looks just as shocked at seeing him out on the streets as he is to find her months after the army invasion.

They regard each other as the other as city folk rush around, pushing past the simple waitress and Captain America.

She takes the first few steps. He meets her halfway. Swallowing the lump in his throat as he regards her.

"You- you saved my life." She breaths out. The awe and gratitude radiate from her.

He rubs the back of his neck and gives a small shrug, not sure about what to say next.

"Thank you."

His lips quirk into a smile. "You're welcome Beth." If feels nice to say her name for the first time. It rids his nervousness anyway.

"Would you like to grab some coffee? I know a great place just down the road." She asks, her voice low and unsure.

He thinks about politely saying no and moving on with his wandering. But he hasn't had a decent cup of coffee in... Well never. The military coffee was always a little bitter for his taste. And that hopeful look in her eyes... He can't bring himself to crush it. He can wander anytime he'd like he decides.

"I'd like that very much."

She nods and leads the way, a small blush on her cheeks.

The future was strange to him, but perhaps his new teammates and the waitress could help guide him in it.


	2. Bruce

She is perhaps the most eccentric girl he's ever met.

Nobody doubts it when they think of Bruce, he's suffered, sacrificed, even tried to end his own life.

He's given everything up and then reversed to trying to help the needy and sick.

When the time came he was willing to step up to the plate. He released the Other Guy and let him loose on the city once more.

Tony Stark opens his home (tower) to Bruce and together they form a strange friendship which revolves around science and experimentation.

But there's that one thing missing in his life. He finds Betty, now married and with a child on the way. They part on good enough terms and Bruce wonders if it's all for the best that he lives life alone. Well, not entirely. Tony has a tower full of misfits who seem to accept him. For whatever reasons.

He tries to move on with his life. Live it as normal as possible. Given the circumstances.

The Other Guy is always there though. Bruce is surprised to learn that Tony actually has a conversation with him. The Other Guy's words basic, violence fits him better. But the Hulk agrees not to destroy Tony's lab so long as the billionaire agrees to make Bruce eat and sleep more.

And that's that.

But then there's her. Jane Foster's sidekick who always has a comment for everything. If he didn't know any better he might think her and Tony were related.

She also has a conversation with the Other Guy. He looses control when the tower is attacked, although he lasted a while the snipers had come in and tried to kill her and Jane. He stepped in front of the bullet but it was The Other Guy, who like always, swatted the attack away like it was nothing.

He doesn't remember what happened next, he never does, but he wakes up and there she is.

For a minute the world doesn't seem _so _bad.

Because she assures him nobody's hurt and that, with a great deal of respect in her voice, he saved her. And nobody's been so heroic for her before, not even Thor, and she throws her arms around him.

He's not used to this. The Hulk- Other Guy ruined his life. He can't be a normal human, a normal man.

But Darcy isn't exactly normal.

He's lost enough in his life, he might as well begin the path of acceptance.

Darcy assures him they can go down it together.


End file.
